Rich wants to know how to set up multiple monitors on his Windows 11 computers
Good Morning EB & TC, I don't know if you can help me with my question, but if anyone can, it would be either or both of you. I have been a subscriber of Cloudeight since your "Birth", and have tried to support your wonderful work for so many. Unfortunately at 87 1/2 years old and being a retired priest, I no longer have the "where-with-all" at this stage of my life, so please forgive me. Now I'm getting to be like TC i.e. "Rambling", so let me get to my question(s),

I have Windows 11 on both my desktop and Laptop, and I would like to set up 2 or 3 monitors Especially on my laptop so that I can have individual apps on each of the 2 or 3 monitors. The screen on the laptop is relatively small, and my failing eyesight doesn't help.

My ultimate question is can you direct me to a sight that can step me through the process? I do have 3 monitors that are larger and should work if I can get some instructions e.g. YouTube...

Thanks again, for all your work with so many people throughout this planet we call Earth". May the Good Shepherd continue to give you health and finances to help more and more of us. Prayers and Blessings, Rich

Maybe You Don’t Need a Huge Office Program…Maybe All You Need Is One of These
Windows 10 / Windows 11

If you don’t need to create spreadsheets or make fancy presentations, then maybe all you need is a word processor. 

If you need to open or work with MS Word Doc and Docx or if you need to save your work in Word .doc or .docx format, you can download one of the many free Microsoft 365  “MS Office” alternatives such as Open Office, Libre Office, and many others. These free office suites are great if you need some or all the functionality of the programs that come with MS Office. But what if you don’t use Excel or PowerPoint or any of the other programs that come with MS 365 or the free alternatives?

What if all you really want and need is a good word processor? One that can open Word documents and save files as Word documents that even your friends with Microsoft 365 (Microsoft Office)  can read. How about a word processor that not only opens and saves documents in MS Word format but edits and saves files in PDF format?

Today we are featuring two excellent free word processors that don’t require you to download a lumbering 300 MB office suite or spend money on Microsoft 365 (Office). These word processors work with many formats – including MS Word.

We’ll start with the one you already have but probably won’t ever use.

AbleWord

A free word processor and PDF reader & editor all in one. Easy to use, familiar interface, and lots of features. Opens, creates, and edits MS Word .docx and .doc. AbleWord can also save Word documents as PDF and PDF documents as Word documents.

Here’s some info from the developer:

“Edit PDF files as simply as Word® documents

There are a few free Word Processing packages available for Windows but none come close to the features offered by AbleWord. It is highly compatible with popular document formats including DOC & DOCX but AbleWord can also open and save as a PDF which makes it a very useful tool to have.

AbleWord can read and write the following file types:

Microsoft Word® (doc, docx)
Adobe® PDF (pdf)
Rich Text (rtf)
Plain Text (txt)
HTML (html, htm)

AbleWord is very simple to install and use, it is commonly used as a PDF Editor and also for converting PDF to Word® but of course, it is also a splendid Word processor and supports most of Microsoft Word® features.”

Above: MS Word .docx file open for editing in AbleWord.

AbleWord is free for home and business use. The download is small, and the installer is clean. Great program.

You can read more about and/or Download AbleWord from here.

—————-

Jarte 6.2

Jarte is a Windows word processor that can read and save your word processing gems in Word format in .doc or .docx format. You’ll need to install the Microsoft Office Compatibility Pack if you want to save in .docx format. But that’s no big deal because when you try to save a document as .docx, Jarte gives you a link to download it. Once you install it, reopen Jarte and you’re in business.

Jarte has a lot of features; here are a few of them

Fully compatible with Windows 10 and Windows 11. It works on both 32-bit and 64-bit computers.

Tabbed interface to provide easy access to open documents

Opens files with file extension RTF, file extension DOC, and file extension DOCX

Fast start-up

Compact screen size

Can be run directly from a pluggable USB flash drive

High-quality spell checker with custom user dictionary

And much more.

And for those who have problems with their eyesight or who are blind, Jarte offers this:

Jarte has become a particularly popular word processor for the blind community due to its special screen reader mode. When Jarte detects the presence of a running screen reader program it starts in screen reader mode with an interface that is specifically designed to maximize accessibility via screen reader programs. An example of Jarte’s screen reader friendliness is its pop-up menu-driven spell check feature which directs the screen reader to audibly spell out misspellings and spelling suggestions. Jarte Plus also provides an optional audible notice when it detects a misspelled word has just been typed. Jarte is committed to being a great word processor choice for the visually impaired.

Above: MS Word .docx file open for editing in Jarte.

We first recommended Jarte back in 2011. Now here it is 2024 and Jarte is still a great word processor. And while Jarte says it works in Windows 10, it works great in Windows 11 too. We know because we tested it.

You can read more about and/or download Jarte from here. 

And one more thing…

Before we go, we want to mention WordPad. You already have WordPad on your computer. It can open and create MS Word files too. However, Microsoft says is going to “deprecate” WordPad so, it looks like sometime in the near future WordPad won’t be shipped with Windows. But if you have it on your computer, you can open it by typing WordPad in the taskbar search and pressing Enter when you see it appear in the search results. 

BBB Scam Tracker: A Valuable Tool for Fighting Scams

The Better Business Bureau’s (BBB) Scam Tracker is a free online resource that empowers consumers to fight fraud. Here’s a breakdown of its strengths and weaknesses:

With over 65,000 scam reports in 2023 alone, Scam Tracker offers a large database of real-world experiences to learn from. Scam Tracker users can search by scam type, keywords, phone numbers, or email addresses.

Scam Tracker is easy to use. It allows users to search for scams or submit their scam reports quickly.

The Better Business Bureau works with law enforcement and other organizations to share scam data. This collaboration helps track trends and potentially shut down fraudulent operations. Scam Tracker also features educational resources to help users identify and avoid scams.

Here’s some information from the BBB Scam Tracker website:

How BBB Scam Tracker Works

Submit a Report

Submit a report using our guided ‘Report a Scam’ form.
BBB’s Internal Review

Our team of investigators will audit the information and reach out to you if we need additional information.

Report Published

Once the information is verified, your report will be published on the website. You will be notified if your report should be submitted as a business complaint. 

Share with Partners

We will share your report with federal, state, and provincial agencies, and law enforcement to help shut down scammers.

Scam Tracker is a powerful anti-scam resource, but it, by itself, cannot prevent you from being a scam victim. The accuracy of information depends on the quality of user reports. Scammers may submit false reports to confuse users. Also, new or less common scams might not be present in the database. Despite a few minor weaknesses, BBB’s Scam Tracker is a valuable resource for everyone. It’s a powerful tool you can use in the fight against fraud.

And while Scam Tracker is a great resource, we recommend you combine it with other anti-fraud measures like secure browsing practices, staying informed, and being wary. You can significantly increase your chances of avoiding scams by using BBB’s Scam Tracker along with other resources and a healthy dose of skepticism.

Visit BBB Scam Tracker right now – it might be a good idea to bookmark it and add it to your anti-scam toolbox!  

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From a Distance

We can’t measure anything… or anyone at all

Long ago, when I was a musician, I used to have an affinity for folk-rock. Although The Beatles were my favorite band, I really like The Eagles, Bob Dylan, The Byrds, and other folk-rock songwriters and composers who have slipped the surly bonds of my aging memory.

One of my favorite folk-rock songs is called “From a Distance” by P. F. Sloan. Obscure, maybe, but the haunting melody and lofty lyrics of that song are still wafting through my old brain even today and inspired me to write this – about them and us.

So you have a better idea of what this is all about I’ll share the lyrics with you...

From a Distance
by P.F. Sloan

Have you ever heard a lonely church bell ring?
Have you ever heard a crying angel sing?
From a distance, from a distance,
You can hear a crying angel sing.
Oh, she’s crying for the sadness tomorrow’s sins may bring.

Have you ever seen a star fall from the sky?
From a distance, It looks just like heaven’s lost an eye.
From a distance, from a distance,
Looks like heaven’s lost an eye…
Now there’s one less change for God
To see you and I...

What is an ISO file?

An ISO file, often called an ISO image is an "image" of an entire CD, DVD, or BD. The entire contents of a disc are contained in a single ISO file. To use an ISO it has to be burned to a CD, DVD, or if you're doing a boot disk - a USB flash drive. You can also mount an ISO file as a virtual drive on your computer. This essentially makes the contents of the ISO file accessible just like you inserted a physical disc (CD, DVD, etc.) into your computer. In the case of a USB flash drive, you cannot simply copy the ISO file to the drive, it has to be done using a special program so the drive is bootable.

An ISO file, then, is an exact image of a CD or DVD. In most cases, you'll burn the ISO to disk before using it... but as mentioned above there are other ways of using ISO files.